7 Key Elements to a Successful Team Coordination

One of the most exciting tasks for a leader is to achieve a successful coordination within her or his team.

Like in most companies, in Doolphy the work is performed by a team and we try to make each task fit the other ones in the best way possible. In this regard, I’ve learnt that there is a list of elements that every leader should take into account:

Having a global picture of all the work that has to be done. The leader must have a long term vision of the tasks that have to be performed. Her or his attitude should be more “visionary” in order to be ahead of the needs of the company and the team, in that way she or he can provide quick responses to changes and unforeseen aspects that can appear in the future.

Setting a common goal. There is no point in coordinating a team if we don’t know what we want to achieve.

Knowing your team. The members of a team are, in most cases, very different between them. Everyone has her/his own way of thinking or acting. That’s why, for a project leader, it’s very important to know each team member. It allows assigning tasks according to the strengths of each member, reinforcing their motivation and supporting their specialization in a direct and positive way.

Defining team roles is a task tightly linked to the previous point. Each team member plays a particular role within the organization and we can only create a strong and consolidated team if we achieve that each person has the role that better fits their flairs and skills.

Planning. Once the team is formed and the role of each team member defined, we should make a planning that includes all the tasks to perform, the estimated time and, where is needed, the available budget. Surely, this planning will have to be reviewed in the future according to the development of events.

Communicating. As you can imagine, all the previous points will lose their sense if we haven’t been able of transmitting them to the team. In order to achieve this, it will be necessary to hold meetings. It’s important to make meetings as productive as possible, that’s why one should clearly define their contents beforehand, so stalled situations or backwards steps are avoided.

Finding the correct tools. It’s evident that we should make use of all tools that can make the work of coordination easier. In particular there are applications which let us define what tasks are to be performed, who is assigned to them and when they have to be finished. In addition, if we communicate the information to the team, we’ll reduce unproductive and unnecessary meetings. Doolphy is a clear example of a tool that helps you. Nobody says that it’ll be easy but you should try to escape from complexity and, thanks to Doolphy, you can do it.

There is no doubt that to perform a correct management activity some skills are necessary. This is related to the old, everlasting question about if these skills are innate or we can learn them. From my perspective, no one is perfect and everything can be improved. The really important thing is to be sure of what you want to do and do it well. Surround yourself with the best teammates, learn, make mistakes and correct them. That’s the only way to better yourself and get closer to perfection

Do you agree with these elements? Would you like to add any other? We’d like to hear your ideas!